What UAV & Drone Solutions does

UAV & Drone Solutions (UDS) is a South African aerial vehicle operator founded in 2015 and headquartered in Midrand, Gauteng, providing drone-based security surveillance, surveying and inspection services, and SACAA-approved pilot training. The company operates VTOL fixed-wing, multi-rotor, and hybrid drone platforms equipped with thermal imaging, night vision, LiDAR, photogrammetry, and multi-spectral sensors, and manufactures its own UDS Condor V-TOL Fixed-Wing airframe through an in-house R&D department. Operations are supported by a 24/7 flight dispatch function and a nationwide control room, with over 420 personnel and 500,000+ cumulative flight hours of crew experience averaging 16,000+ hours per month.

UDS serves enterprise and government clients across mining operations, state-owned infrastructure (power, rail, water), renewable energy facilities, oil and gas sites, civil infrastructure projects, and residential/lifestyle estates, with a customer base rooted in long-term managed-service surveillance contracts and project-based surveying engagements. Revenue is generated through three streams: managed aerial surveillance services, professional surveying and inspection services, and SACAA-approved training courses (RPC, BVLOS, Fixed Wing, Instructor, UASMT, AVSEC, CRM) delivered via the udstraining.com portal and direct enterprise sales. The company holds South Africa's first-ever RPAS Operator's Certificate (issued October 2015) and operates as a fully compliant SACAA ATO, with BEE Level 1 status and consecutive Silver (2024) and Gold (2025) Aviation Safety Awards.

Since March 2019, UDS has operated as a subsidiary of Bidvest Group, a JSE-listed diversified conglomerate, which provides capital, strategic support, and cross-sell into adjacent security and services businesses. Go-to-market is sales-led and enterprise-focused, using direct outreach, a website contact channel, and strategic alliances with leading on-ground security providers rather than self-serve or product-led channels. The company is privately held, South Africa-domiciled, and operates exclusively within a single national market with no disclosed international expansion to date.

Name

UAV & Drone Solutions

Legal name

UAV and Drone Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://uavdronesolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UAV & Drone Solutions (UDS) is South Africa's largest commercial drone operator, providing aerial security surveillance, surveying and inspection services, and SACAA-approved pilot training to mining, state-owned infrastructure, renewable energy, and estate clients from its Midrand headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerial Drone Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (488190), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)

SIC

Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC)

Keywords

• Aerial security surveillance
• Drone survey inspections
• SACAA pilot training
• Commercial drone operations
• VTOL drone manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Midrand

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Aerial Security Surveillance Services: Ongoing drone-based security surveillance operations for enterprises and government entities, providing real-time aerial intelligence, perimeter monitoring, and coordinated response with ground security teams. Revenue is generated through long-term service contracts with clients in mining, infrastructure, and industrial sectors.
2. Drone Surveying and Inspection Services: Professional drone surveying and inspection services delivering high-resolution geospatial data for mining volumetrics, environmental surveys, civil engineering inspections, and renewable energy assessments. Charged on a per-project or contract basis.
3. Drone Pilot Training and Certification: SACAA-approved training programmes including Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC), BVLOS endorsement, Fixed-Wing Rating, Instructor Rating, RPC Renewal, UASMT, AVSEC, and CRM training. Revenue generated through course fees charged to individuals and organisations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UDS provides commercial drone-based services across three pillars: aerial security surveillance for enterprise and government sites, geospatial surveying and infrastructure inspections, and SACAA-approved drone pilot training. The company operates the largest commercial drone fleet in South Africa, deploys an in-house manufactured VTOL fixed-wing aircraft, and supports clients with 24/7 flight dispatch, live-streamed control rooms, and a 420+ personnel team.

Product overview

UAV & Drone Solutions (UDS) operates as a comprehensive drone solutions provider offering three core service pillars: Security Surveillance Services, Survey and Inspections Services, and SACAA-approved Drone Pilot Training. The company also manufactures the UDS Condor V-TOL Fixed-Wing drone in-house. The training division offers multiple certification programmes including Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC), BVLOS Endorsement, Fixed Wing Rating, Instructor's Rating, RPC Renewal, UAS Maintenance Technician, AVSEC UAS, and CRM Training. Community engagement programmes include the Cadet Programme, Bursary Programme, and Learnerships targeting B-BBEE candidates. All services are delivered through a fleet of diversified aircraft operated by over 420 personnel with extensive flight experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Security Surveillance Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ combined flying hours accumulated across the flight crew
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Leading Security Service ProviderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUDS maintains strategic partnerships with leading security service providers to drive exceptional success and deliver superior outcomes for clients. These partnerships enable coordinated ground and aerial security operations, combining UDS's drone capabilities with established on-ground security networks.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Bidvest Group: Bidvest Group is the parent conglomerate of UDS and a JSE-listed diversified services group; relevant as the ownership and strategic context for UDS, with BEE and capital backing shaping UDS's market access.
• DroneDeploy: DroneDeploy is a drone data platform for mapping, inspection, and analytics; it is an enabling software layer comparable to the geospatial data capture technology UDS uses and offers in surveying services.

Broad incumbents

• senseFly (Parrot): senseFly, a Parrot subsidiary, manufactures fixed-wing drones and provides mapping/surveying solutions globally; comparable to UDS via the UDS Condor V-TOL Fixed-Wing manufactured drone and surveying focus.

Direct peers

• Sky-Futures: Sky-Futures is a global drone-based inspection services company focused on industrial asset inspection for oil & gas, renewables, and utilities, closely comparable to UDS's inspection services portfolio.
• Aerobotics: Aerobotics is a Cape Town-based aerial data analytics company using drones and satellite imagery for agriculture and tree-crop analytics; it is a direct regional peer with comparable drone-based data service model in South Africa.
• Sharper Shape: Sharper Shape provides automated drone-based inspection services for utilities and critical infrastructure, directly comparable to UDS's infrastructure inspection offerings.
• Cyberhawk Innovations: Cyberhawk is a UK-based drone inspection and survey specialist serving oil & gas, utilities, and infrastructure operators worldwide, making it a direct international peer to UDS's industrial inspection services.
• Rocketmine: Rocketmine is a South African commercial drone operator providing aerial surveying, mapping, and inspection services primarily to the mining industry, making it a direct local competitor to UDS's mining surveying business.

Emerging players

• PrecisionHawk: PrecisionHawk is a US-based drone data and analytics provider offering surveying and inspection services with proprietary software, partially overlapping with UDS's geospatial data capture services.
• Nightingale Security: Nightingale Security provides autonomous drone-based security and surveillance solutions for perimeter protection, directly comparable to UDS's aerial security surveillance offering.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bidvestuds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uds-uav-drone-solutions
• Instagraminstagram.com/udsuavanddronesolutions

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UAV & Drone Solutions